The present invention relates generally to the field of data caching systems, and more particularly to a local session loopback protocol. In data networking, network congestion occurs when a link or node is carrying so much data that its quality of service deteriorates. Typical effects include queuing delay, packet loss or the blocking of new connections. A consequence of these effects is an actual reduction in network throughput due to the heavy traffic loads on the network hardware. Network hardware devices may include gateways, routers, switches, bridges, hubs, and repeaters. A gateway is a device placed at a network node that interfaces with another network that uses different protocols. A switch is a device that connects devices together on a computer network by using a form of packet switching to forward data to the destination device. A bridge may be a hardware device or a software utility that connects two or more networks so that they can communicate. A hub is a device for connecting multiple devices together and making them act as a single network segment.
One method of reducing network congestion is to use data caching, i.e., storing data, so that future requests for that data can be served faster. Web browsers use web caches to store previous transmitted responses from web servers, such as web pages and images. Web caching reduces the amount of information that needs to be transmitted across the network, as long as the previously stored information in the cache can be re-used. This reduces bandwidth and processing requirements of the web server, and helps to improve responsiveness for users of the web. Search engines also use caching technology to make web pages they have indexed available from their cache, for example, providing a “cached” link next to each search result. This can prove useful when web pages from a web server are temporarily or permanently inaccessible.